Global day of action for Darfur: 17 September
Aegis Trust
Thousands to Wear Blue Hats in Call for UN protection for Darfur
August 18, 2006 — In exactly 30 days’ time, campaigners will hold the biggest campaigning day for Darfur since the start of the conflict. Thousands of people in dozens of cities will call on their governments to do more to protect civilians in Darfur.
17 September marks the one-year anniversary of the pledge made by over 150 governments at the UN World Summit to provide security for civilians at risk of mass murder. People all over the world will gather to remind their leaders of their unfulfilled responsibility and the continuing suffering in Darfur.
“Tens of thousands of people in capital cities from around the world will be calling again for the killings to stop,” said Dr. James Smith, Executive Director of the Aegis Trust, one of the organizations coordinating the events. “We are indignant at Darfur’s slow death; its time for us to express our outrage.”
In New York, London, Paris, Abuja, Toronto, Cairo, Kigali, Moscow and many other cities, events ranging from small candlelight vigils to mass concerts will bring citizens together to urge their governments to pressure the UN Security Council into taking immediate action to protect the people of Darfur as it promised.
Participants in the events on 17 September will wear “blue hats,” the internationally recognized symbol of UN peacekeeping forces.
“The African Union has been struggling to do its job in Darfur. The UN must deploy peacekeepers as soon as possible with a strong mandate to protect civilians,” said Dismas Nkunda, a spokesperson for the Darfur Consortium, a coalition of more than thirty Africa-based and Africa-focused organizations.
The “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) passed the UN General Assembly in 2005, but has yet to be implemented. This pledges “collective action…if national authorities manifestly fail to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.”
”From Abuja to New York, this will be a chance for people across the Globe to show that they care about Darfur,” said Jill Savitt, Campaign Director of Human Rights First. “September 17 is going to be a day of international solidarity to bring hope to the people of Darfur.”
See www.DayForDarfur.org to find out more about the range of international groups involved.
For more information, contact Aegis Media Officer David Brown, tel: +44 (0)1623 836627, mobile: +44 (0)7812 640873, email: [email protected]